2004 IL Shotgun Season....Long Story W/RESULTS
12-08-2004, 10:52 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Central Illinois
Posts: 154
2004 IL Shotgun Season....Long Story W/RESULTS
I shot this buck last saturday. I was pretty proud of him. This is the biggest buck I have killed ever so far. Decided to get him mounted. Here's the story:
As Nov. 20th came around, I was getting very anxious to travel north to my Parent's house in the small town of Penfield Il. I was coming from school in Carbondale. I figured I would get a day of bowhunting in, and scout in the afternoon a little bit in my shotgun "Honey Hole". I saw several deer that morning and passed on a doe. After I ate, I made my way over to a friends property, only five miles from my parents' house. The stand was in a 80 acre CRP field, which is about fifteen years old. The pine trees are anywhere from 3' to 15'. It was a beautiful spot. Strips of crops were down by the creek in the middle of the thing, and my stand was about fifty yards away. My brother said that he glassed it from the road one October night and 16 deer were milling around in the crops. The deer bedded heavily in the pines. I noticed huge rubs on the small oaks in between pine trees. As I proceeded to my tripod stand I had put up earlier in the season, I noticed Around my stand were several scrapes. I was surprised by this, and obviously, The deer were using the area. After talking to several friends later that evening, I come to find out that my "friend" the landowner's son had been letting several people bowhunt out of my stand. I was fairly mad, but shook it off, looking forward to opening morning.
Opening morning came fast, and I was out the door and in my stand by 5:30a.m. I sat until 4:30 p.m. Did not see a deer. My season continued like this, and I even had strangers walk up to my stand, see me, and take off running. I thought great, my season is ruined, as I rode back to carbondale on Sunday night in the train. I decided I would make it back for the last two days of second season. As I packed up, I hoped noone was in my stand. I did not see a deer saturday morning. As I sloppily made my way out the door, I took a field and stream magazine and forgot my boots, wearing steel toe workboots out to the stand wasn't a good idea, expecially when they have holes in them. I climbed into my stand at about 3:00, read the entire magazine by 4:10, and looked up to see two does had just ran within fifty yards of me and I never saw them until about 200! I watched the big doe and the yearling bed down, but not for longer than 20 seconds. The were very skitterish, and the wind was blowing 15 to 20 mph. I just waited, hoping they would come back through. They reached the corner of the field, and I saw antlers just for a second through the trees. I decided I would stalk.
I ended up stalking the deer quietly as they made there way down a fence line. I made my way to a 5 foot pine tree and nestled in tightly. The wind was perfect. The deer were at least 200 yards off, and I watched them make their way to the road, and I started losing hope. All of the sudden, the mature doe turned around and ran straight back at me! I wasn't ready, so I drew my gun. As I watched her make her way, I knew that buck was behind her. I sat, as the doe and the yearling walked about ten feet from me. I couldn't turn, because she was right there. As she and the young one proceeded, I heard grunts coming from in front of me. I looked and saw him, head down at 25 yards. I put the bead of my trusty shotgun on him, sqeezed the trigger, and the did the buck and ran about 100 yards before piling up into a tree. I shot him perfect, got the top of the heart and both lungs. Right through both shoulders. Made me a believer in Brenneke K.O.s.
Well Enough with this story, I could probably go on for hours. I am going to get him mounted, just because I have a friend who will do it cheap. How much you think he'll score? I'm not a scoring Expert, but he does have pretty good main beams. Small brow tines though, maybe only 3 inches. Heres some pics.
As Nov. 20th came around, I was getting very anxious to travel north to my Parent's house in the small town of Penfield Il. I was coming from school in Carbondale. I figured I would get a day of bowhunting in, and scout in the afternoon a little bit in my shotgun "Honey Hole". I saw several deer that morning and passed on a doe. After I ate, I made my way over to a friends property, only five miles from my parents' house. The stand was in a 80 acre CRP field, which is about fifteen years old. The pine trees are anywhere from 3' to 15'. It was a beautiful spot. Strips of crops were down by the creek in the middle of the thing, and my stand was about fifty yards away. My brother said that he glassed it from the road one October night and 16 deer were milling around in the crops. The deer bedded heavily in the pines. I noticed huge rubs on the small oaks in between pine trees. As I proceeded to my tripod stand I had put up earlier in the season, I noticed Around my stand were several scrapes. I was surprised by this, and obviously, The deer were using the area. After talking to several friends later that evening, I come to find out that my "friend" the landowner's son had been letting several people bowhunt out of my stand. I was fairly mad, but shook it off, looking forward to opening morning.
Opening morning came fast, and I was out the door and in my stand by 5:30a.m. I sat until 4:30 p.m. Did not see a deer. My season continued like this, and I even had strangers walk up to my stand, see me, and take off running. I thought great, my season is ruined, as I rode back to carbondale on Sunday night in the train. I decided I would make it back for the last two days of second season. As I packed up, I hoped noone was in my stand. I did not see a deer saturday morning. As I sloppily made my way out the door, I took a field and stream magazine and forgot my boots, wearing steel toe workboots out to the stand wasn't a good idea, expecially when they have holes in them. I climbed into my stand at about 3:00, read the entire magazine by 4:10, and looked up to see two does had just ran within fifty yards of me and I never saw them until about 200! I watched the big doe and the yearling bed down, but not for longer than 20 seconds. The were very skitterish, and the wind was blowing 15 to 20 mph. I just waited, hoping they would come back through. They reached the corner of the field, and I saw antlers just for a second through the trees. I decided I would stalk.
I ended up stalking the deer quietly as they made there way down a fence line. I made my way to a 5 foot pine tree and nestled in tightly. The wind was perfect. The deer were at least 200 yards off, and I watched them make their way to the road, and I started losing hope. All of the sudden, the mature doe turned around and ran straight back at me! I wasn't ready, so I drew my gun. As I watched her make her way, I knew that buck was behind her. I sat, as the doe and the yearling walked about ten feet from me. I couldn't turn, because she was right there. As she and the young one proceeded, I heard grunts coming from in front of me. I looked and saw him, head down at 25 yards. I put the bead of my trusty shotgun on him, sqeezed the trigger, and the did the buck and ran about 100 yards before piling up into a tree. I shot him perfect, got the top of the heart and both lungs. Right through both shoulders. Made me a believer in Brenneke K.O.s.
Well Enough with this story, I could probably go on for hours. I am going to get him mounted, just because I have a friend who will do it cheap. How much you think he'll score? I'm not a scoring Expert, but he does have pretty good main beams. Small brow tines though, maybe only 3 inches. Heres some pics.
12-08-2004, 05:05 PM
#10
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location:
Posts: 147
RE: 2004 IL Shotgun Season....Long Story W/RESULTS
What a wonderful story about a young man with a tremendous passion for hunting and the persistence to make it pay off...really enjoyed the story. 
Oh...and what a payoff! Too cool and big time grats!
Dandy buck!
Oh...and what a payoff! Too cool and big time grats!
Dandy buck!
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